With a tired and frustrated sigh, you slam your apartment door shut and practically stomp your way into the kitchen, setting the numerous bags of groceries onto the counter a bit harder than you perhaps intended. Still. The heavy thunk of the cans and boxes onto the hard surface felt good, you had to admit.
The tv was practically on full blast, and you rolled your eyes, swinging your gaze to the green-haired, black-horned man currently lounging comfortably across your living room couch.
“Could you listen to that any louder?” You snap, making his cast a sidelong, black-eyed glare at you.
“I don’t know, does it go up any higher?”
A harsh breath is pushed through your nose, headache worsening. “Are you deaf or something? I’ve already gotten 2 noise complaints from the old lady in the apartment across from me.”
“So what?”
“So, I’m just a few away from being evicted, that’s what!”
“Not like I actually live here or anything…” He gave an infuriating shrug. “So I guess that’s your problem.”
“Ugh, I cannot deal with you today!” You say, throwing you hands up in the air and proceeding to put away your groceries. After which, you swore you’d relax in a very hot, very bubbly, and hopefully demon-free bubble bath.
You find yourself grumbling under your breath as you unbag and store your food items, the stress from the day added on by Zoro’s uncaring attitude just making you all the more angry in the end. But miraculously, you did hear the tv volume decrease after several minutes.
“If you leave your face that way, you’ll be stuck looking more demonic than me.”
“Shut up, Zoro.”
“What crawled up your ass and died? You’re in a pissy mood today.” He noted, and you looked to the side to see the demon leaning against your kitchen counter. The fact that he could appear wherever he wished without having to walk–and without the restrictions of walls and doors to keep him out–had always sort of freaked you out.
“None of your goddamn business.”
“Fine, just trying to help, since you’re always on my case about being a good roommate or whatever.” He said with another of his signature and annoying shrugs.
You stop, forcing a steadying breath to come through your body. Planting your hands on the counter, you close your eyes and count to ten, deciding that you weren’t going to let Zoro’s maddening demonic ass push you to the brink of downing an entire bottle of whiskey.
“I got my ass reamed today at work for something I didn’t do.” You say carefully, jaw clenching as you thought back to your day. “And the smug bastard who lied to him about it got off Scott-free. Again.”
“Derrick?” He asked, recalling his name since you’d spoken about him before.
“Yes. Derrick.”
“I already offered to kill the guy, but you keep refusing my services.” He shook his head. “Humans are so indirect when they deal with problems. You waste time getting mad, but then go back to work and act like everything is fine. Derrick has done so many things that should have gotten him fired, and yet you do nothing. Just let me kill him and move on.”
“Right. And get my ass thrown in jail for the rest of my life when they need someone to pin it on. What a great plan.”
“As if anyone would bother you in prison with me around.” A smug grin took up his features, one you hated to admit made him look devilishly handsome, even with the intimidating black eyes.
You let out another sigh, most of your explosive anger subsiding into the simmering, less violent kind. “Why the hell do I keep you around, anyway?”
“Because you don’t know the incantation to end the contract, and it’s not completed until you actually let me kill someone.” He reminded jovially.
“Thanks for the unwanted reminder.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometimes, demons weren’t so bad.
You found yourself beside the horned man–could you even accurately call a demon a man?–on your couch late on Saturday night, watching a documentary you’d found on tv. Nothing else had looked interesting, and given the topic was of a religious nature, you were curious to see if he would have anything to say about it.
Unfortunately, Zoro wasn’t much of a talker on any given day, and he’d just sat beside you most of the time without a word, one lazy black eye watching the screen with bored interest.
Of course, questions you’d had in the back of your head for these past several months since you’d accidentally summoned him came up to the forefront. So, feeling like the mood was warrant enough for you to ask them, you turned to face your demonic companion.
“Hey, Zoro?”
“Hmm?”
“Is it true that a deal with a demon means they take your soul once it’s completed?”
“Not always.” He opened his other eye and glanced at you. “If the pact was made in blood, then yes. But there are many types of contracts a demon can make.”
You recall back to when you’d first made the contract with him, and were relieved to remember that there had been no blood involved. Well…given he’d had to kiss you to seal it, you decided not to dwell on it for too long.
“What happens when they take your soul? Do you…die? And go to hell?”
“If that’s what the demons wants, then yeah. They can decide what to do with it once they have it.”
“So then…what will happen when our contract ends? There wasn’t any blood involved-”
“I go back to hell, and you keep going on with life.” He surmised, eyes returning to the tv screen. “That’s it.”
“Really?”
“Mhmm.”
“Oh.”
You sit in silence, pondering that information for a long while, wondering why the thought of him leaving gave you such an ache in your chest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two weeks later had you in much better spirits. You sauntered through the door with a smile that just wouldn’t go away. Even the tv being up loud again wasn’t as grating on your nerves as it typically was.
“Hey, Zoro, I’m thinking of ordering Chinese takeout tonight. What do you want me to order you?”
At first he didn’t respond, and when you looked over at him, he was pinning you with a strange expression.
“What happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re actually happy. After work. No grumbling or complaining, and you haven’t sworn once.” When you blinked, he was standing with crossed arms directly across from you at the kitchen counter. “So what happened?”
You couldn’t help the pleased smile that overtook your expression. “Derrick got fired! I thought about what you said, how I never do anything about what he does, just let him continue on and hope someone else takes care of it, but I realized that you were right. I should just do something about it.”
He raised a brow, mouth quirked up in a small smile. “Oh yeah?”
“Yep, so I compiled everything I had against him last week and brought it to upper management.” You placed your hands on your hips, feeling rather proud. “I walked by his desk today and everything was gone!”
“I would have just killed him, but that works too I guess.” Zoro said with a shrug.
“So I’m in the mood to celebrate with some sweet and sour chicken. Now what do you want? The chow mien is to die for, and I think you’d like the Mongolian beef…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was…very bad.
Derrick had cornered you on the older side of town, in between two buildings where no one went very often. How he’d known you were there, you couldn’t be sure, but here he was now, raging drunk and brandishing a knife.
You knew you shouldn’t have gone antique shopping that day, but you were a sucker for killer deals. And…well, now killers too, you supposed. Your heart beat against your chest a rapid rhythm. It wasn’t like you had a weapon to defend yourself with, and if you even tried to reach for your phone, you know he’d get to you first.
What a dumbass you were!
Your hands raise into a defensive position, every movement slow and measured. “You don’t want to do this-”
“You…you’re the bastard who lost me everything.” He slurred, sauntering forward menacingly and making you step back until your back hit the wall of the building. There was nowhere else for you to go. This was very bad…
“Because of you, I’m broke, and my wife left me. She fucking left me! Everyone at work knows, I’m the laughing stock of the company…So yeah, I really wanna do this.”
“Derrick, put the knife down-”
“Shut up! You’re dead! You hear me, you’re fucking dead!”
He launched himself at you, and you squeezed your eyes shut, awaiting the cold pain of the knife stabbing into your flesh. And all you could think to yourself was…
Zoro, help me!
A shift of wind and a strangled cry of pain made you open your eyes to see the back of the green-haired demon you had become so familiar with. He stood in front of you protectively, his own long knife–practically a sword with a narrow, wicked blade–pointed directly at the neck of your attacker.
“Who…what…the hell are you?” You heard Derrick whimper, seeing the way he looked up into Zoro’s face with fear.
You heard the quiet ‘hmph’ of Zoro’s amusement, and you could only imagine the pleased grin he wore in that moment. “So, Y/N? Should I kill him?”
Adrenaline still pumping a ridiculous amount of nervous energy through your body, you thought to the fear you’d felt coursing through you seeing that bloodthirsty in Derrick’s eyes. His begging and pleading fell on deaf ears as you pondered your answer.
You’d never feel safe with him out there, possibly ready to try killing you again. You never thought you’d condone such a thing, but-
“Kill him.” You voice doesn’t even waver.
“No!” Derrick yelled, but it was cut off a moment later by Zoro’s well-aimed and firm slice.
You felt the warm speckling of blood on the parts of you that weren’t shielded by Zoro’s body, which made you shudder. You wrapped your hands around yourself as Zoro turned and sheathed the long knife-sword onto a sheath on his back.
“Thank you…” You mutter, struggling to keep standing. “Let’s just…go home now, please. I don’t want to be here any longer.”
Zoro’s hands hold you up by your arms, and he scrutinizes your face with a careful eye.
“Y/N…” He goes quiet again, looking more serious than perhaps you’ve ever seen him. Even covered in your attacker’s blood. “Our contract is complete.”
“Ok.”
He continues to eye you seriously, and for the life of you, your adrenaline-pumped brain can’t comprehend why he wasn’t guiding you back to the street your apartment was on. He just…stood there.
“I told you. Once the contract is complete, I go back to hell.”
You blink, slowly sifting through your memories until you recall your conversation on the couch. “Oh…”
As if on cue, you hear a terrible ripping sound, similar to the one you’d heard when you’d somehow, accidentally summoned him that first day. Looking over, you see a red-edged rift or tear in space beside you. Distant noises of otherworldly origin drift through, too muffled to pinpoint, but haunting in tone.
You turn back to him. “Zoro, I don’t want you to go.”
“I have to, Y/N. That’s the way things work.”
You grip onto his sleeve, not caring it was still coated in blood. “There has to be a way. Please. Don’t go. I like having you around and…life won’t be the same without you there.”
Zoro’s brow furrows, black eyes searching your face for something. Perhaps the answer to your problem. And then they narrow in thought.
“Make another deal with me, but not like the one from before.”
You’re totally on board even before he finishes the sentence. “What kind of deal?”
“A more permanent one.”
And with that, he stoops down to grab the knife that Derrick had been holding, slicing his palm with a swift drag. You gasp, but he doesn’t even flinch. He holds up his hand to you.
“Drink it.”
“Your blood?” You wince reflexively.
“Please.” He pins you with a hard stare and it’s then you realize you’ve never heard him use that word before. “Trust me.”
You nod, and trying your best not to think about it, you lower your mouth to the open cut.
His blood doesn’t taste good by any means. It’s sour and slightly burns your tongue. But you hear the quiet, indecipherable chanting he does as you lick the remaining liquid on his palm. You hear the rift close beside you, but when you try lifting your head to look, Zoro presses you further into his hand, still saying whatever words he needed to.
After his words die away, you raise your head, and Zoro looks down at you with a relaxed expression.
“Do we have a new contract now?”
“Yes.”
“What are the terms?”
He gives you a little grin, wiping his injured palm against his clothing to clean it. “Demons don’t have souls, but the binding of a soul contract still works the same way. I’m in service to you for all eternity, or until you figure out a way to get rid of me. Which isn’t likely.”
You smile, surprisingly unperturbed with that revelation. “Then can we go home now? I’m exhausted, and I need to mentally process the fact that I asked you to kill someone for me.”
ns 15.158.61.20da2
